Can a Puppy Help You Write?

I wrote about Written? Kitten! in my last post, and now I’ve discovered Write or Bite. It offers a similar reward system, except that every time you meet a word count goal, a cute puppy appears. But, if you don’t stay on track, you’ll get a photo of a howling hound! You also have the ability to set the word count and pace yourself. Check it out here.

 

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Can a Kitten Help You Write?

If you’re looking for a little positive reinforcement to help you write, Written? Kitten! might be just what you need. I’ve written about Write or Die in the past — the site that provides a stick to help you keep writing. (You get punishments for not keeping up your word count, ranging from annoying sounds and music to your words actually being deleted if you don’t write fast enough.) But Written? Kitten! offers up a carrot instead of a stick. If you like adorable pictures of kittens, that is.

For every 100 words you write, a new photo of one of the little cuties appears. Check it out, and see if it gets you cranking out the words. Or, for an interesting test, try both Write or Die and Written? Kitten! and find out whether you respond better to positive or negative stimulus.

Let me know how it goes in the comments!

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CREATIVE BURSTS WORKBOOK!
And receive free creativity prompts delivered to your inbox twice a week.
CLICK HERE!   (To learn more, click here)

Great Tool for Daily Writing

I recently discovered 750 Words. It’s a great little website that makes it easy for you to write 750 words a day. The creator was inspired by the idea of morning pages that Julia Cameron discusses in The Artist’s Way, which is the practice of doing three pages of freewriting first thing every morning. 750 Words gives you a blank page to write on every day — and, rest assured, what you write will be private.

The site makes things fun by giving you a monthly scorecard. You get points for writing anything at all, more points for writing 750 words, and even more points for writing two or more days in a row. You also get little badges for various writing accomplishments. Racking up the points and badges can be a real motivator to keep you going! If you want to learn more, check it out here.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CREATIVE BURSTS WORKBOOK!
And receive free creativity prompts delivered to your inbox twice a week.
CLICK HERE!   (To learn more, click here)

Write Naked

I’m rerunning this popular post because I know some of you out there want to know how to capture your shower and bath musings!  

Okay, I know I gave this post a provocative title. Provocative, but not misleading, because I’m going to talk about writing while in the shower.

In my post Friday, I mentioned dragging my Muse into the shower to sneak in a creative moment. Writing in the shower came up in the comments to that post, too. Since it was on my mind, I did a little Internet research about shower writing. And I found products!

I’ve always written in my head in the shower, repeating a few sentences over and over until I’m finished so I won’t forget them. It never occurred to me to actually physically write in the shower. But apparently it occurred to other people, because you can buy the items below to help with your shower-time creativity.

Links to Shower Writing Tools:

Erasable Shower Note Tablet: Like a small whiteboard, with waterproof crayons, a crayon caddy and suction cup mounts included.

AquaNotes: A pad of waterproof paper with suction cups to attach it to the shower wall. Comes with a water-resistant cedar pencil and a suction cup pencil holder. You can buy the regular AquaNotes or the “LoveNotes” to leave a message for that special someone in the shower!

Underwater Dive Slate: A search for “dive slate” turns up dozens of different dive slates made for scuba divers. But they’ll work fine in the shower, too.

These are products designed for construction professionals who need to take notes in all sorts of weather:

Waterproof Bound Book

Waterproof Notepad

All-Weather Pen: A ballpoint pen that “writes on wet paper, and upside down in temperatures from -50 to 400°F.” I think at 400°F, the pen might be fine, but the writer would have melted into a puddle!

I also found advice to use kids’ washable crayons or old-fashioned grease pencils to write on tile shower walls.

So choose your method and don’t let a little water dampen your creativity!
 

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE CREATIVE BURSTS WORKBOOK!
And receive free creativity prompts delivered to your inbox twice a week.
CLICK HERE!   (To learn more, click here)

Get Inspired

I’m on vacation, and while I’m away I’m highlighting some of my favorite fun creative websites and writer’s resources. Hope your holidays are joyful, and I’ll see you in the New Year!

You can find a variety of inspirational devices over at Language is a Virus, including writing prompts, a character name generator, a poetry generator, the text collage, madlib poems, the haiku-a-tron and much more. Let your muse go wild in this writer’s playground!

Can You Write for One Minute?

I’m on vacation, and while I’m away I’m highlighting some of my favorite fun creative websites and writer’s resources. Hope your holidays are joyful, and I’ll see you in the New Year!

Here’s a great little tool for those overscheduled days:  The One-Minute Writer.  Every day a new prompt appears.  Click on the timer at the top of the page and spend 60 seconds writing whatever the prompt inspires.

(Source: Words, Words, Words)

A Great Site to Help You Write

Quick post today to point you toward an interesting site: Word Count Journal.

After setting up a journal through the site, you write one word on the first day, two words on the second day, and so on. You can keep your journal private or share it with other readers.

This sounds like a great idea for slowly building up your writing muscle! And by the end of a year, you’ll have written 66,795 words.

Jumpstart Your Writing With This Fun Story Starter

Here’s an amusing little online gadget to help you come up with story ideas — or just random tidbits to use as writing exercises: The Special Projects Labs Idea Generator. I gave it a few whirls and received:

Secret glitter magazine

Automatic holographic car

Revolutionary chocolate furniture

Cold neon hotel

Luxurious growing art

Erotic mechanized sanctuary

A whole lot of ideas lurk in these odd little phrases. If you come up with any you like or use one to write something, share it in the comments!

Another Great Writing Tool to Keep You Focused

When you log  in to One Page Per Day, it presents you with a single blank page. Sign up using your existing Google account or Twitter username, then start writing. The program automatically saves your work so you can return for another session the next day. (Or any time.)

You can also choose to share some of your writing anonymously on the “Glimpses” page. Or read the words other have left behind and see if you find some inspiration!

Write Naked

I’m on vacation, visiting family, friends and old college pals in my home state of Virginia, so I’m offering one of my most popular posts:

Okay, I know I gave this post a provocative title. Provocative, but not misleading, because I’m going to talk about writing while in the shower.

In my post Friday, I mentioned dragging my Muse into the shower to sneak in a creative moment. Writing in the shower came up in the comments to that post, too. Since it was on my mind, I did a little Internet research about shower writing. And I found products!

I’ve always written in my head in the shower, repeating a few sentences over and over until I’m finished so I won’t forget them. It never occurred to me to actually physically write in the shower. But apparently it occurred to other people, because you can buy the items below to help with your shower-time creativity.

Links to Shower Writing Tools:

Erasable Shower Note Tablet: Like a small whiteboard, with waterproof crayons, a crayon caddy and suction cup mounts included. (Looks like they’re out of stock at the time of this writing.)

AquaNotes: A pad of waterproof paper with suction cups to attach it to the shower wall. Comes with a water-resistant cedar pencil and a suction cup pencil holder. You can buy the regular AquaNotes or the “LoveNotes” to leave a message for that special someone in the shower!

Underwater Dive Slate: A search for “dive slate” turns up dozens of different dive slates made for scuba divers. But they’ll work fine in the shower, too.

These are products designed for construction professionals who need to take notes in all sorts of weather:

Waterproof Bound Book

Waterproof Notepad

All-Weather Pen: A ballpoint pen that “writes on wet paper, and upside down in temperatures from -50 to 400°F.” I think at 400°F, the pen might be fine, but the writer would have melted into a puddle.

I also found advice to use kids’ washable crayons or old-fashioned grease pencils to write on tile shower walls. So choose your method and don’t let a little water dampen your creativity!

Copyright © Sandy Ackers, Strangling My Muse: Struggling to Live a Creative Life in a Stressful World, http://www.stranglingmymuse.com

Freebies for Writers

Quick post today to direct you to some great reference tools and free things for writers, courtesy of The Freelance Writing Jobs Network:

49 Free Online Reference Tools for Writers. Includes dictionaries, encyclopedias, a zoological glossary, NASA’s Thesaurus, connections to academic and public library collections around the world, profiles of American businesses and much more.

45 Free Things for Writers. Free calendars, software, business cards, e-books on various aspects of writing, journals and pens, financial tools for writers, tutorials and more.

If You’re Looking for a Character…

This Character Description Generator can be used for fun or to create quirky people to write about. Here’s what I received when I tried it:  This man is lean, with guileless dark eyes and fuzzy red hair worn short and spiky. He is wearing a lilac leotard and seems angry.

The creator’s main site includes dozens of other generators, for fantasy characters, plots, clothing, names and all sorts of fictional elements.

Try it out and let me know what you think!

*Thanks to writer Susan Bearman for steering me toward this site.

Add Some Rhythm to Your Writing

Here’s another fun resource for you poets out there: Write Rhymes, a site designed to help you find rhymes as you create. When I plugged in the word “muse” I received dozens of options, divided into one-, two- and three-syllable words.

The kangaroos love to schmooze and guzzle booze while listening to Blues and paddling their canoes in search of news about their favorite zoos in Santa Cruz.

Okay, that’s just silly. You get the idea.

Copyright @ Sandy Ackers, Strangling My Muse: Struggling to Live a Creative Life in a Stressful World, http://www.stranglingmymuse.com

A Great New Writing Tool

Jennifer Blanchard at Procrastinating Writers recently launched Write Everyday. It’s similar to Write or Die, but without the negative reinforcement. Write Everyday also supplies a writing prompt. You choose how long you want to write and whether you want to be stopped at the end of that period or allowed to keep writing. Then let the prompt inspire you to create something new. Don’t forget to cut and paste your work into a word processing program when you’re done.

@Sandy Ackers, Strangling My Muse: Struggling to Live a Creative Life in a Stressful World, http://www.stranglingmymuse.com

Get Inspired

You can find a variety of inspirational devices over at Language is a Virus, including writing prompts, a character name generator, a poetry generator, the text collage, madlib poems, the haiku-a-tron and much more.  The site seems to have a slight goth vibe, but, even as a very un-gothlike writer, I’ve found plenty of inspiration here.

Can You Write for One Minute?

Here’s a great little tool for those overscheduled days:  The One-Minute Writer.  Every day a new prompt appears.  Click on the timer at the top of the page and spend 60 seconds writing whatever the prompt inspires.

(Source: Words, Words, Words)

Write or Die

Quick post today to mention Write or Die, a truly evil application that provides negative reinforcement whenever you stop writing.  I’ve tried it; it works.

Write Naked!

Okay, I know I gave this post a provocative title.  Provocative, but not misleading, because I’m going to talk about writing while in the shower—and presumably naked.

In my post Friday, I mentioned dragging my Muse into the shower to sneak in a creative moment. Writing in the shower came up in the comments to that post, too. Since it was on my mind, I did a little Internet research about shower writing. And I found products!

I’ve always written in my head in the shower, repeating a few sentences over and over until I’m finished so I won’t forget them. It never occurred to me to actually physically write in the shower. But apparently it occurred to other people, because you can buy the items below to help with your shower-time creativity.

Links to Shower Writing Tools:

Erasable Shower Note Tablet: Like a small whiteboard, with waterproof crayons, a crayon caddy and suction cup mounts included. (Looks like they’re out of stock at the time of this writing.)

AquaNotes: A pad of waterproof paper with suction cups to attach it to the shower wall. Comes with a water-resistant cedar pencil and a suction cup pencil holder. You can buy the regular AquaNotes or the “LoveNotes” to leave a message for that special someone in the shower!

Underwater Dive Slate: A search for “dive slate” turns up dozens of different dive slates made for scuba divers. But they’ll work fine in the shower, too.

These are products designed for construction professionals who need to take notes in all sorts of weather:

Waterproof Bound Book

Waterproof Notepad

All-Weather Pen: A ballpoint pen that “writes on wet paper, and upside down in temperatures from -50 to 400°F.” I think at 400°F, the pen might be fine, but the writer would have melted into a puddle!

I also saw advice to use kids’ washable crayons or old-fashioned grease pencils to write on tile shower walls. I think I’m going to try out the AquaNotes. And I didn’t even know waterproof paper existed until yesterday!

Copyright @ Sandy Ackers, Strangling My Muse: Struggling to Live a Creative Life in a Stressful World, http://www.stranglingmymuse.com